NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Imagine parking yourself at the bar in one of Nashville's beaucoup music venues, expecting to listen to a house band — and suddenly Kid Rock shows up onstage. Or Alison Krauss. Or Hank Williams Jr.
It's not that rare an...

In 1989, Travis Tritt planted his boot heels firmly on Nashville soil and has been a country star ever since. Today, the Harley-riding, longhaired country boy from Marietta, Ga., is planning the follow-up to his most-recent album, 2007’s The Storm,...

Emmylou Harris is trailed by a ragtag parade of eager dogs when she answers a knock at the door of the comfortable two-story home on a fenceless parcel a few miles from downtown Nashville, where she lives with her 89-year-old mother, Eugenia.
The...

Medieval knights searching in all the wrong places for the Holy Grail, singing as they go, will help fuel the first full season in the Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric. So will John Waters, Baltimore's champion of all...

[Updated 5 p.m. Dec. 1]
The Recording Academy experimented with a Grammy Awards nominations concert event broadcast on CBS Wednesday, Nov. 30.
Lady Gaga launched the proceedings with expectedly wild theatrics. Looking like an undead creature from the underworld, she skulked across the stage and bounced in a black bikini. Ludacris joined Jason Aldean for a supercharged version of "Dirt Road Anthem." An all-star group of hip-hoppers including Common, Scorpio and show host L.L. Cool J joined Grand Master...

Every town and city or populated area has its own special identity. Many times it is defined by geography or history — a river, perhaps, or certain architecture from a specific time period. A region's character can become further defined by the arts centers, events and special activities that grow up around the area. These elements many times wash a community with a color scheme all its own. The following are some of the happenings that distinguish the Lehigh Valley from everywhere else. And they...

After Zac Brown chose to sing "Martin," a love song to his guitar, everyone on stage with him Tuesday night at Club Nokia for this year's Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum benefit concert quickly fell in line and served up songs inspired by their own instruments.
No surprise there: All musicians have a story about their first instrument. At this annual round-robin "guitar pull" session, rooted in a Nashville living-room music tradition widely credited to Johnny Cash and June Carter, the symbiotic...

The Junior League of Baltimore will hold its annual Boutique Warehouse Sale Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17 and 18, at the Hunt Valley Towne Center, Next to DSW, at 118 Shawan Road. For this event, a bunch of popular local boutiques gather under one roof to raise money for charity. Hours are Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Visitors can shop before the crowds for $20 Friday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. Go to http://www.jlbalt.org.
RVs roll in
The yearly Fall Maryland RV Show and Sale will roll...

The Sea Level Singer-Songwriter Festival has brought an impressive cast of characters to Norfolk over its four-year history. Ben Taylor, son of the more famous James, has played it. So has Justin Townes Earle, son of the more famous Steve.
Susan Werner also has performed at the festival, an annual fundraiser for Tidewater Arts Outreach.
This year, the festival has booked probably its most high-profile act, Shelby Lynne. A singer who won Best New Artist Grammy award for 2000, Lynne is a critically...

Reporter Chris Kaltenbach reviews a concert by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band at 1st Mariner Arena November 25.
Funny thing about reviewing Bob Seger in concert: his song titles pretty-much write the review themselves: “Old Time Rock & Roll,” “We’ve Got Tonight,” “Rock & Roll Never Forgets,” “Night Moves.”
If only he had recorded Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” my work would be done.
Thirty-two years after last...